Share this:

As the 49ers gathered for their post-practice huddle today, Justin Smith spoke up.

Yes, the same Justin Smith who seldom speaks up.

Smith set aside his quiet demeanor to remind his teammates about the importance of Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. It’s a matchup flowing with danger signs for San Francisco — cross-country flight, 10 a.m. West Coast kickoff, unheralded but surging opponent (the Bucs have won four of their past five games) and the week after an emotional, grueling victory over NFC West rival Seattle.

Put another way: This has all the makings of a trap game. Fullback Bruce Miller said Smith’s words resonated, as they usually do.

“It’s not often, but everyone listens when he does speak,” Miller said. “To us, the most important thing is making it to the postseason, which makes this game even more important than last week’s. I think everyone understands the importance of going down there and keeping focused.

The 49ers officially listed those four players as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Iupati bears particular scrutiny. Even if the 49ers have won the three games he’s missed (with Adam Snyder starting in his place), Iupati could pump fresh life into the running game from his spot at left guard.

“He looked good in practice,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “It’s still a possibility he’ll play.”